Recipe: Bermuda Fish Chowder by Mystic Fish (Palm Harbor, FL)

This is one of my favorite dishes at Mystic Fish and one of the most unique and enjoyable soups anywhere! The folks behind Mystic Fish founded the Lobster Pot in Bermuda and bring this uniquely delicious style of cooking to the Tampa Bay area in Florida! Look for their famous Chilean Sea Bass recipe in my upcoming book “The Restaurant Diet” (Mango Media, Jan. 2018)!

Bermuda Fish Chowder

Serves eight

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup minced carrots

½ cup diced sweet onions

1 rib celery, minced

¼ cup minced fresh red peppers

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable bouillon

2 cups crushed Roma tomatoes

1 cup diced Roma tomatoes

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

¼ teaspoon gumbo file

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Fish Seasoning

8 ounces mild white fish (raw), such as snapper

½ teaspoon granulated garlic

¼ cup dry sherry

1 quart water

Brown roux (see below). Add roux after stock has simmered.

Optional: Dark Rum of your choice (Ideally Goslings, since this is a Bermuda-inspired dish), otherwise Myer’s Dark Rum or the dark rum of your choice as well and hot sauce of your choice to top soup at the table will do just fine!

Brown Roux

Ingredients:

2 ounces butter or vegetable oil (Note: for weight-loss purposes at home, use oil; if avoiding flour, omit the roux)

½ cup flour

Instructions:

1. Mix together butter or oil and flour in a sauce pan over very low heat.
2. Cook and stir mixture until roux is golden brown and has a nutty smell, 25 to 30 minutes.

Instructions:

1. Using a large stock pot, sauté carrots, celery, and onion in oil until soft;
2. Add all other ingredients
3. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in roux and simmer an additional 15 minutes.
5. Serve with optional drizzle of Myer’s rum and optional hot sauce.

Note: The roux adds approximately 38 calories per serving. Myers dark rum contains 69 calories per ounce.